Regulation and accreditation of pre-licensure education of registered nurses: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of the scoping review is to examine and map the literature that reports outcomes of the regulation and accreditation of pre-licensure education of registered nurses (RNs).

Introduction: Pre-licensure nursing education is the basic education that a person must complete before becoming an RN. Regulation and accreditation of nursing education vary by country and may vary within a country. The intended purpose of regulation and accreditation is to protect the public and ensure the quality of education programs; however, there is a gap in published evidence on the outcomes of such regulation and accreditation.

Inclusion Criteria: Published and unpublished studies worldwide of any pre-licensure RN students or any pre-licensure graduates of RN programs will be considered. Concepts of interest for the proposed review are reported outcomes related to regulatory activities or accreditation requirements affecting any pre-licensure education programs preparing students to become RNs. The context is pre-licensure regulation or accreditation of RN education in any country or setting. This review will consider quantitative research designs, qualitative research designs, economic evidence evaluations, and textual evidence/gray literature.

Methods: Databases to be searched include CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Directory of Open Access Journals, Education Source, Health Policy Reference Center, MEDLINE Complete, Epistemonikos, JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, and Ovid Nursing. Articles published in English will be included. No date limits will be set. Selected studies will be reviewed and data extracted by two independent reviewers. Extracted data will be placed in a table and synthesized in narrative format.